Student Post: Climate Change

We have all been hearing about climate change since elementary school, and it is amazing to look back at how support for measures to slow or stop global warming has grown. Although, as the book notes, there has been doubt cast upon climate change and the scientists arguing that it is happening, the large consensus among scientists leaves little doubt that this is a serious problem that we are going to deal with eventually.

In class we have discussed different types of energy sources, both fossil fuels and renewable energy sources. With 34 percent of the United States’ carbon dioxide emissions coming from fossil fuels in power plants, it seems that there are quite a few things that could be done to limit future carbon dioxide emissions.

Saying that carbon dioxide emissions should be reduced is one thing, getting it done is an entirely different matter. The book notes how many European countries have mandated carbon dioxide emission levels for cars and things like that, but the United States has lagged behind. There are arguments for and against the government telling people what they must do in regards to potentially climate-changing actions, but there is no doubt that things need to change if we truly want to avoid the problems predicted by climate scientists.

Power plants and production are one key area that could be gradually changed to help solve this problem. One possible solution is to develop technology to help current fossil fuel consuming plants to become more efficient and to reduce carbon dioxide emissions if possible. If less energy was lost in the process of creating electricity, there would be less waste and less of an impact on the environment. This solution combined with increased research and development into renewable energy sources could be a very practical solution. It would be impractical to suddenly stop using fossil fuels, but if we put the time and money into researching alternative energy sources now we might be able to avoid the most serious impacts of global warming.

Carbon dioxide emission limits on vehicles are also an option. Many European countries have limits on their cars, and as new technology emerges their citizens must adjust and upgrade to the more efficient cars. While this has had a much slower start in the United States, I am sure there are ways to promote more efficient cars in the United States. Whether it be taxing vehicles based on their emissions, or taxing the vehicles themselves at different rates, something can be done to help change our current path.